Howard returns, leads Mavericks past Suns 102-101

Dec 9, 2009 - 5:33 AM
By JAIME ARON
AP Sports Writer

DALLAS(AP) -- Josh Howard carefully peeled the wrapper off a
bandage, then gently applied it to his surgically repaired left
ankle. He rubbed on some cream, pulled up a sock and then,
before putting on his shoe, slipped on a brace, too.

"It's going to be sore, guys, it's going to be sore the rest of
the year," he said.

At least this time the soreness came with a smile. Howard was
back in action after missing 13 games, and was back to his old
tricks on both ends of the court, scoring 20 points and flying
around for rebounds, steals and blocks while helping lift the
Dallas Mavericks to a 102-101 victory over the struggling
Phoenix Suns on Tuesday night.

"I'm surprised he played so well for his first game back,"
Phoenix's Amare Stoudemire said. "He took his time, got healthy
and it showed."

The ankle bothered Howard all last season no matter how much
therapy he did, so he had it cleaned up over the summer. He
missed the first five games of the season recovering, then
lasted just 2 1/2 before having to be shut down again. Following
a nearly monthlong layoff, he didn't start Tuesday night and
coach Rick Carlisle wasn't sure how long he'd use Howard or how
good he would be.

He looked pretty rusty when he came in midway through the first
quarter and he finished the first half with just a pair of free
throws, having missed both shots he took. Then he opened the
second half with a jumper that rammed against the backboard,
followed by a pass to a teammate who wasn't expecting it,
sending the ball rolling out of bounds.

Then, it all turned around.

Howard scored 16 points during a stretch late in the third
quarter and early in the fourth, taking Dallas from being tied
at 66 to leading 88-79. He had the last nine points in that
surge, hitting a 3-pointer from the corner, a pair of free
throws, a 14-footer on the baseline and an 18-footer that
swished through as the shot clock expired.

He finished 6 of 13, and 6 of 6 from the line, with six
rebounds, three steals, a block and an assist in 26 minutes.

"We hit a spell there where he was the only offense we had
going," Carlisle said. "He really kept us afloat. It shows you
how important he is to our team and he just showed a lot of guts
tonight, too. Because he was tired and you could tell he was a
little sore."

Dirk Nowitzki scored 33 points and was pretty much keeping the
Mavericks in this game by himself until Howard got rolling.

"Once he gets a good rhythm going, we'll be a really tough team
to beat," Nowitzki said.

Jason Terry scored 15 points and Shawn Marion added 10 points
and seven rebounds in his first game against his longtime team
since rejoining the Western Conference. J.J. Barea, who had what
likely will become Howard's spot in the starting lineup, scored
14. Jason Kidd had 11 assists and seven points as Dallas kept
its first two-game losing streak of the season from stretching
any further.

Phoenix made three 3-pointers in the final 47.9 seconds to make
things interesting all the way to the buzzer, but the Suns wound
up losing for the fourth time in five games. All those losses
are on the road, and they've all come in December. Phoenix lost
only three times over the last week of October and all of
November.

"We've had (an NBA-high) 15 road games, so we're a little bit
tired," point guard Steve Nash said. "We've got to fight through
that. The legs are a little tired but nobody cares, nobody's
going to feel sorry for us."

Nash scored eight of his 27 points in the final minute and had
eight assists. Jason Richardson scored 25, including a long 3
during the final push. Stoudemire had 20 points and Jared Dudley
11.

Phoenix scored 12 points in the final minute to get over 100 for
just the second time in this December plunge. The Suns had been
over 100 points in every game coming into this month.

"Teams are switching every time, making Steve into an offensive
player and keeping the rest of the guys out of sync," Stoudemire
said. "That's why we're not playing fast tempo. But we'll figure
it out."Although the Suns led most of the first half and the
Mavericks never trailed again after Howard's big spurt, the
tight finish was reminiscent of the many great games and playoff
series between these teams in the year since Nash went from
Dallas to the desert.

Terry kept the drama going by missing a free throw with 3.7
seconds left. He intentionally missed the next one. Stoudemire
got the rebound, took a few dribbles then heaved it about 75
feet. It was pretty much on line but short.

"When Steve kept making those 3s at the end ... that felt like a
little deja vu," Nowitzki said. "But we hung in there."

NOTES: Carlisle said Howard may miss one of the back-to-back
games on Friday and Saturday nights. ... Phoenix's Lou Amundson
returned after missing two games with the flu. Leandro Barbosa
missed his fourth game because of a sprained left ankle. ... A
couple celebrating their 75th wedding anniversary - each wearing
No. 75 Mavs jerseys - were featured on the "kiss cam" during a
timeout. They smooched twice to loud cheers.